Aye, Captain
by Hyperpegasi
Summary: Sora & Roxas, two ageless travelers cursed to wander for eternity. Riku & Axel, captain and first mate of the pirate ship Heartless. A deal was made, but the outcome was different than any of them could ever have imagined.YAOI! RiSo & Akuroku
1. Chapter 1

**So... **yeah. If you wanna throw things, go for it. I'm a terrible person and I know it. I didn't make any promises - or at least, I don't remember making any... ;^^ - But I feel awful that I never updated. And this is only a repost (of a repost...). Hopefully it's better quality than before.

For those of you who are new to the party and have no clue what I'm rambling about, I'll recap: I'm Hyperpegasi, I'm a bad person, and this story is the re-worked re-posted chapter of something that I haven't updated in forever - BUT HAVE NOT GIVEN UP ON! This story is also yaoi (boyxboy) so if that's not your thing, then you probably shouldn't read any farther. It's also a pirate story: There WILL be cursing. There WILL be fighting and bloodshed. Axel WILL have inappropriate intentions for Roxas in handcuffs. Whether or not Riku will allow him to act upon those intentions is debatable.

I don't own Kingdom Hearts (I know, I'm shocked too.)

**Note: Italics are flashbacks, with the exception of '...' (is thoughts.)**

* * *

The town that they had arrived in only last night was in turmoil. Pirates, apparently, had found the secluded cove that led to the village. Now, the town was none of their concern, some of you might say. But they headed to the point where the commotion was worst: intent on finding some sort of solution.

* * *

Riku watched his crew proudly from his perch on the town's wall. They were pillaging the town for all it was worth, but they hadn't killed anyone. Yet. He didn't want _anyone_ to miss the grand finale.

His first mate, Axel, stood nearby; chakram at the mayor's neck.

He intended to get what he could from this town before they blasted it.

A crowd had gathered in the square, as per the captain's request. Axel had no qualms about tearing their precious mayor's neck out, and he had said as much to them. Loudly, and a tad less polite.

Many of the men were nursing broken bones and bruises, courtesy the pirate's crew. With as little fighting experience as the villagers had, there had been no chance for them.

Riku eyed the turnout critically. The town was rather sparsely populated if this was the best they could do in the way of a crowd. He smiled, though. Time to put on a show.

He stood, brushing imaginary dust from his skintight black shirt before folding his arms behind him. He turned his aquamarine eyes to the townspeople as he began his jaunty little walk across the wall.

"Hello,"

* * *

-_Simple little people-_

* * *

"I'll only take a second of your time. I have deal for you,"

* * *

_-That's right, keep your eyes on me.-_

* * *

"So hear me out:"

_

* * *

_

-Not that it's an option. Makes your blood burn, right?-

* * *

"My crew here - yes, I see you've met them? Charming little buggers, aren't they?"

* * *

_-I bet you hate this, don't you? It feels like an ultimatum already and you just __**hate**_ _it.-_

* * *

"Mm, but there's just so few of them... my crew is just a tad small, wouldn't you say?"

* * *

_-Ah, there it is. I can see your little minds turning already. Is that fear? I haven't even gotten to the good part yet.-_

* * *

"So we're just going to take a few of your strapping lads and put them to good use. How about it? Anyone want to be a pirate?"

* * *

_-No one cares what you want.-_

* * *

"Now that I think about it, actually, how about we take a couple of these lovely young ladies as well? Pirate life can be awful lonely . . ."

* * *

_-No one needs you; You're worthless.-_

* * *

Riku pause his speech to wink at one particularly cute girl in the crowd, who, as expected, blushed wildly and looked down.

"Not really that bad, right? Reasonable requests, I would think. In return, we'll leave the rest of you no worse off than you are now."

* * *

_-Don't believe me? Clever of you.-_

* * *

He listened to the angry murmurs from the crowd for a moment, before pausing mid-stride and turning to face the villagers head-on. He leaned forward, and cocked his head slightly, causing his silver hair to spill over his shoulder. He smiled pleasantly, clasping his hands together at his waist. "Of course, should you refuse, we will _still_ take what we want, and _**then **_we will kill everyone else _and_ burn your pretty village to the ground."

* * *

_-It doesn't matter. We're going to kill you all anyway.-_

* * *

He jumped from his perch, landing next to Axel. They were alone as they stood side by side, a little apart from the rest of the crew, awaiting the answer.

They weren't expecting it to come in the form of two boys, who looked like they couldn't be more than 14, pushing through the crowd to stand between the villagers and pirates. They both carried strangely shaped swords that looked like huge keys; the blonde on the left had two, both more ornate than the brunette's.

"They don't have to give you anything," The brunette declared - his furious forget-me-not blue eyes trained on Riku - thrusting the end of his strange sword into the ground in front of him.

* * *

_"I hate people like you. You're manipulative and cruel!"_

_-I'm a pirate, boy.-_

_"You promised! They complied to your commands! Why did you have to **kill them**?"_

_-It's more fun to let them hope before they die. I do so love the way they scream.-_

_"YOU TOOK HIM FROM ME! He was all I had left and you **took him**!"_

_-And I suppose you want revenge, hm?-_

_"...I want my **brother** back."_

_-Really? And what would you give if I could make that happen?-_

_"I'd give anything for ___ ___!"_

_-Then **I'll make you a deal.**-_

_

* * *

_

"... **I'll make you a deal.**" His blonde counterpart seemed uninterested, dual blades crossed behind his head as he looked off into the distance, letting the little brunette do the talking. "You leave this village and it's people alone, don't do anything to hurt them or cause them any more trouble, and you can take anything you want under those perimeters. And we won't kill you."

"... And if I refuse your terms?" Riku spoke with some amusement, his initial surprise at the duo's sudden appearance pushed aside. The terms were outrageous, though it was cute, but there was no way they could back up their big talk. They were just like the other villagers: Little boys with big mouths and bigger weapons- and no idea how to use either for their benefit. However, their weapons were more likely to be effective then anything the other villagers had found, and they obviously intended to put up a fight.

The blonde answered him, after a pause. "Then we _will_ kill you and your crew." The serious, deadpan way he said it made Axel grin. It was adorable, really, the duo really thought they could beat an entire crew of bloodthirsty pirates. They had a bit of a pirate's attitude themselves.

Axel lit up as an idea struck him, and he leaned down to explain his thoughts to his slightly shorter captain in hushed tones. Riku smirked slightly, thinking it over.

The redhead straightened and smiled at the boys. The triangle tattoos under his eyes made him look more than slightly sinister in the twilight. "How old are you two, anyway? You don't look a day over 14."

The blonde's fists clenched on the grips of his intricate blades. "I'll have you know we are, in fact, 18." He glared a the redhead, ocean blue eyes burning hateful little holes in the man's skull. "Asshole," he muttered under his breath.

"Well how old are _you_? And what does it matter, anyway?" The brunette was now leaning against his blade's handle, expression stormy.

"A lady never reveals her age," Riku chided snidely, feigning distraction. His attention was sharp, though, as he changed the subject. "You know, I think I've forgotten the terms of your agreement." The false distress _barely_ covered the catty undertone in his voice. "Could you repeat them for me?"

The brunette frowned a little, scrunching his nose. "You leave this village and it's people alone, don't do anything to harm or disrupt them, and you can take anything you want, and we'll let you all live."

He turned to the blonde. "That was everything, right, Rox?"

The blonde boy nodded slowly, eyeballing the pirates suspiciously.

Riku nodded to himself, forefinger tapping his chin thoughtfully. "Y'know," He drawled, with a remarkable straight face, "You say that almost like you aren't part of this village."

The blonde seemed to have some inkling as to what was about to happen, and, bringing his Keyblades down from his shoulders, he moved to prevent the brunette from speaking.

But not fast enough.

"...That's 'cause we _aren't_. My brother and I are just travelers, passing through." The brunette spoke with his brows furrowed, not understanding the statement's full connotations.

* * *

_-You should learn to think before speak, ___ ___.-_

_Pain. Horrible, unbearable pain. Then the screams._

_

* * *

_

Riku grinned slowly, allowing the words to sink in before dropping the bomb.

"In that case, we agree to your deal. We'll take you."

* * *

_-We'll take you, then. You're both now the property of this ship and her captain. Welcome aboard the _ _, boys.-_

_

* * *

_

The blonde was openly aghast.

The brunette was utterly still for a moment before he sunk weakly to the ground, blue eyes wide as he stared sightlessly at something in the distance.

_'Not again. This can't be happening **again**!'_

"W-what?" he finally stuttered out, his words a hoarse whisper.

Riku grinned wider, enunciating each word for the boys benefit. "We'll. Take. You."

The blonde was fuming as he turned to his brother, who shifted after a moment to look up at him as if asking for guidance.

"I must be going crazy, So'," The blonde snarled, "Because I thought I heard them say they'd take US."

"Twice," Axel piped in, grinning, but he was ignored.

The brothers looked at one another desperately. They had a **mission**! But leaving would be like signing a death warrant for the town, which they couldn't allow.

"Sorry, Rox... I messed up," _'Again.'_ "Didn't I?" the brunette looked despondent under his brother's livid glare.

"Yeah, So'. You _did."_

Seeing their distress, Riku strode forward a few steps, sweeping one arm grandly - the other resting on the hilt of his sword, Soul-eater - smiling genially. "But I'm a fair man, boys. Tell you what. If you can beat me and my first mate here, Axel, than we'll leave this town alone, and we won't take anything but the gold and booze we have already collected. How's that sound?"

The blonde perked up immediately. "Now _that _I can go for!"

He switched his grip so that he could offer a hand to his still seated brother.

Riku crossed the remaining distance between them, Axel close behind. "Introductions are in order, I believe. My name is Riku: Captain of the _Heartless_, and this, as I said, is Axel."

The brunette nodded. "I'm Sora, and this is my brother, Roxas." He glanced from the tall, defined silver haired man to the taller, lanky redhead.

"So how are we doing this?"

"Two separate one-on-one matches, I was thinking? Pick your opponent. First to hit the ground loses, to leave the match at any point before the match is decided is to forfeit: if one of you wins and one of us wins, we keep the losers. Got it memorized?" Axel said, all in one breath.

"Who chooses?" Roxas cocked his head at Axel: who was quite looking forward to winning... He really couldn't wait to have the blonde all to himself...

"Captain?" Axel turned his attention from the delectable blonde long enough to query his captain.

"They can choose." Riku's aquamarine eyes hadn't left Sora, causing the boy to fidget uncomfortably.

* * *

_Eyes heavy on him: hating/judging/pitying/watching..._

_

* * *

_

Sora leaned over to Roxas, who was also beginning to feel uncomfortable with the pirates' staring. "...You pick."

Roxas' answer was immediate. "Redhead."

Sora nodded, and the two moved parallel to their chosen opponents. Roxas on the left, Sora on the right. The villagers fled the square, with only a few of the braver men staying to watch the match.

"Time limit?" Sora avoided making eye contact with his opponent.

Riku smirked. He was really going to enjoy those eyes.

"Nope."

And then he attacked.

* * *

**Evil **or not, I love reviews. =) Drop me a line: tell me what you think, chew me out for not updating. Whatevs. I love to chat, and reviews warm my heart. Also: questions, insights, thoughts? I'll answer as well as I can without spoiling the surprises I have for you all.


	2. Chapter 2

**...This** update is way overdue. But it's here, finally, so enjoy! If you haven't looked over the first chapter recently, I would strongly suggest doing so, because it has changed a lot since the original post.

Warning: This story is yaoi (boyxboy) so if that's not your thing, then you probably shouldn't read any farther. It's also a pirate story: There WILL be cursing. There WILL be fighting (although you probably won't get to see most of it in detail) and bloodshed. Axel WILL have inappropriate intentions for Roxas in handcuffs. Whether or not Riku will allow him to act upon those intentions is debatable.

I don't own Kingdom Hearts (I know, I'm shocked too.)

_**Note: Italics are flashbacks, with the exception of '...' (is thoughts.)**_

* * *

"I hate you, Sora." Roxas growled, glowering at his twin.

"I'm sorry! Please don't be mad at me!" The brunette put his hands up to ward off his brother's anger. However, the heavy, metallic clank as his chains rattled only served to remind them both of their predicament.

"Sorry..." Sora repeated, lowering his hands despondently. As the dock gave way to the Heartless's boarding plank, his feet froze. _'I can't I can't I can't. I can't get on this boat... -!'_

"Quiet! Quit yur whisper'n and getta move on!" The pirate behind them barked, giving both of the brothers a shove. With their hands cuffed together, the blue-eyed duo struggled to keep their balance, wobbling precariously and jostling against each other with startled yelps.

"None of that," Riku reprimanded harshly from his spot at the back of the procession. "These boys are the sole property of Axel and myself. You are under _no_ circumstances allowed to touch them. Is that clear, Pete?" His hand rested on the hilt of his sword: a reminder what would happen if the captain were to be disobeyed.

"Aye, Captain," Pete grated out. "It won't happen again." He ducked his head, making a wide circle around the two captives as he headed up the gang plank.

Axel didn't like the man's tone.

"Look alive, Pete," the redhead warned, grinning maliciously as he stepped forward and shoved the wide-eyed pirate clean off into the water. Several crewmates guffawed as the spluttering man resurfaced.

Riku chuckled a little as he pushed past his men, clapping a hand on Sora's shoulder. "You're welcome," he hedged, leaning down so that his eyes were level with the brunette's.

"I'm not gonna thank you," the smaller boy snapped, yanking away from the captain's touch and subtly increasing his distance from the water.

The silver haired man smirked. "No need to be a sore loser, Sora."

"We had a deal," Sora agreed reluctantly. "And **I **keep my promises. I'll honor my part: I don't have to be happy about it."

Axel snickered. "It really doesn't matter if you're happy or not," he pointed out bluntly. "You both lost, square and fair."

Riku rolled his eyes and snorted, shooting the redhead a dry look. "That's not quite how the saying goes, Axel."

Said redhead laughed, waving a hand in the air and shaking his head. "Eh, it was close."

The manacled brothers gave him twin looks of disbelief. "No, it wasn't," they dead-panned together.

"And it's _not_ true," Roxas muttered, looking angry. "You would NOT have won if I hadn't **had** to-" He cut himself off, clenching his hands into fists and looking away.

"You chose to leave the match: you were informed at the beginning that leaving the designated area would be counted as a forfeit." Axel's voice was serious and mocking at the same time.

Sora flinched as Roxas huffed quietly._ 'It's all my fault...'_

* * *

_They took on their ready positions: Riku; sword arm held level with his ear, the other extended forward in a deadly invitation as he bent slightly at the knees in preparation for a lighting quick offense. Sora; bent securely in a wide defensive stance, both hands gripping the hilt of his blade at waist level._

_"Time limit?" Sora asked quietly as he avoided making eye contact with his opponent. The older boy was watching him far too closely . It was... disconcerting. It was just a little to predatory; too much like different silver-haired pirate captain..._

_Riku smirked. It was fun to make the kid squirm._

_"Nope."_

_And then he attacked._

* * *

_Eying his twin in his periphery, Roxas settled into a deceptively casual stance. Blades resting at his sides – the tips hovering just above the dirt - and posture bored, the blonde turned his attention to the lanky redhead who was undressing him with his eyes. The bastard. But Roxas stared back at him, assessing. Since that day two years ago, he had had a sort of sixth sense when it came to fighting, and he had a feeling that he could win this._

_Axel stood confidently, arms away from his body as he twirled his chakram expertly._

_"Well, Blondie?" the pirate goaded with a grin. "Come at me!"_

_In a movement that the untrained spectators couldn't follow, Roxas did just that._

* * *

"Why **did** you have to?" Riku finally asked, one brow lifted. "Sora was holding his own just fine."

* * *

_Steel shrieked against steel as weapons clashed and parried, fighters moving with swoon-worthy speed in furious attacks that so far had yet to land. It was obvious that the two were closely matched._

* * *

Sora flinched at the question, though it had been directed at his brother. Said brother just looked at the captain, lips drawn into a narrow line.

"Does it matter? It's over now. You won, we lost. Big whup." His gaze shifted sullenly to the water.

Aquamarine eyes hardened. "You better start remembering who you're talking to, Roxas. Or have you forgotten that we **own** you now?"

* * *

_"You're not too bad, kid," Riku smirked over their locked blades. _

_"Don't cry when you lose to 'not too bad'," Sora bit back, angling his blade down and forcing Riku to jump backwards. He followed up with a barrage of small, quick slashes, which the older boy fended off._

_"What makes you think you can win," the pirate scoffed, turquoise eyes cold._

_**-What makes you think you can win?- **_

_A deeper voice rang out from Sora's memory and he stumbled. For a fraction of a second, Riku's eyes appeared orange._

_His next attack was so quick that the silver haired man almost couldn't bring his blade up in time to block it._

* * *

_In his right hand, Oblivion shuddered, lilting towards Sora slightly._

_That was the first sign that something was amiss._

_A parry and a dodge later, Oathkeeper reacted as well, tugging in the opposite direction._

_'Shit!'_

* * *

_"Wow, Sora, did I strike a nerve or something?" Riku quipped lightly to cover his surprise. 'What the hell? When did he get faster?'_

_The brunette didn't answer._

* * *

_The second he got the chance, Roxas peered over at his twin. The boy was trembling and swaying, attacking sporadically with abnormal speed._

_Shadows were crawling up from the ground beneath his feet._

_'Fuck, it's happening again!'_

_"Time out!" the blonde snapped suddenly, his eyes frantic._

_"What?" Axel paused mid-swing, one eyebrow quirked. "This is the real world, kid. We don't DO time outs."_

_Eyes flicking desperately over to his brother, Roxas noted with horror that the shadow tendrils were thicker, and his brother's eyes were glazing over._

_"Dammit, it's important!" he begged angrily. "Please, you stupid pirate, I have to get to my brother!"_

_The redhead glanced over. He could see the fight just fine. Sure, something looked kind of off about the kid, but that wasn't **his** business._

_"He looks fine," Axel waved away the younger boy's concern. "You should be worrying about yourself."_

_And he attacked again with renewed vigor._

_'Dammitdammitdammit! He can't see it. My brother is going to kill your stupid captain if I don't fix him!'_

* * *

"Give the kid a break, Captain," Axel wheedled lightly. "Let's just get going. We'll take care of the attitude problem later, yeah?"

Only Roxas noticed the terror in Sora's eyes at the thought of getting aboard the boat. He smirked. _'They'll figure it out for themselves. Good luck, Mr. Pirates. You'll need it...' _

Although, the smirk died when he realized **why** Sora was scared_...____ 'Oh no... oh ____**shit **____no!'_

* * *

_Mind made up, Roxas made a break for it: Only to be blocked the stupid pervert. One spike of the redhead's weapon grazed his cheek._

_So he pulled back and tried again. Only to blocked again._

_And again._

_And again. _

_"Would you just quit already?" the first mate asked, amused. "Pay attention to your own battle. Your brother is a big boy."_

_"I'm going to kick your ass, you insufferable prick," Roxas snapped, spreading his arms with a smirk 'But Sora is more important right now... This had better work...' _

_"Come at me," he taunted, throwing the redhead's words right back at him._

_Axel grinned. "That's more like it!" He charged._

* * *

_'Shit, what the hell?' Riku, despite his outward calm, was getting worried. There were tiny nicks all up his arms, and a few gashes from where the boy had managed to get in a few of his absurd hits._

_Before, he and Sora had been about equal in skill, but Riku had had the advantages. A few minutes longer and he would have dodged inside Sora's guard and easily disarmed him._

_Now, though? There was no method to the boy's fighting: he couldn't find a pattern, and therefore couldn't break it. And the kid looked ... weird. He was shaking all over and obviously unsteady, but his attacks were faster and his defense had all but disappeared. _

_His arm was bleeding heavily and it should have been enough to make him quit by now, but Riku got the disconcerting sense that the younger boy didn't even feel it._

_This fight was getting bizarre... _

* * *

_Roxas waited until the older boy was almost upon him. Just as the raised weapons were about to come down on his head, he dropped his Keyblades and dove between his opponent's legs._

_Delivering a kick to the redhead's backside – true to his word - he sent the surprised pirate sprawling face-first into the dirt. 'Take **that**, you stupid perv.'_

_Pushing himself up, Roxas ran. _

* * *

_Riku lifted Soul-eater over his head. 'I'm just gonna knock him out. This has gone on long enough...'_

_As he prepared to bring the blade down, he was distracted by a flash of yellow._

**"Sora you IDIOT!"**

_Pulling back out of surprise, the pirate found himself watching the most absurd exchange he'd seen in years._

* * *

_Ignoring the confused pirate, Roxas tackled his brother._

_Knocking the oversized key away from the struggling brunette underneath him, he slapped said brunette across the face._

_Sora stilled, but the shadows still engulfed him. And his eyes were still yellow._

_"Hey," the blonde said softly, "Wake up, So'."_

* * *

_"...Captain?" Two very confused pirates stood side-by-side, watching the brothers warily. Axel's entire front was covered in dirt: a fact Riku noted with amusement. "... What just happened?"_

* * *

_The boy beneath him didn't respond, only beginning to wiggle again. 'Damn him, he's really gonna make me...' The blonde sighed._

_Fisting his hands in Sora's shirt, Roxas prepared himself._

* * *

_"Is he gonna _**kiss **_him?" Axel inquired, horrified and yet terribly intrigued. That's what Riku was wondering too. _

_'Who knew they were like _**that**_?'_

* * *

_Oblivious to the pirates' muttering, Roxas yanked his brother forward and headbutted him as hard as he could._

* * *

_Not sure if were relieved or disappointed, Axel and Riku decided that they were definitely missing something._

* * *

_"Gah, dammit," eyes watering, Roxas dropped his brother back to the dirt so that he could rub his abused forehead. The yellow was clearing away from Sora's eyes, though, so it was worth it. "It's me, Sora. You're Sora, okay? And they I'm Roxas. Remember, Sora? Remember Roxas?"_

_The shadows were finally disappearing. '...Thank God...'_

_"... Roxas?" Sora finally croaked, blinking. His head hurt. "What happened?"_

_Roxas collapsed forward, resting his head on his brother's shoulder. "I'm glad you're back, Sora..."_

* * *

I love reviews. =) Drop me a line: tell me what you think, chew me out for not updating in forever. Whatevs. I love to chat, and reviews warm my heart. Also: questions, insights, thoughts? I'll answer as well as I can without spoiling the surprises I have for you all. Reviews encourage updates!

This chapter would have had more to it, but that seemed like a good place to end it. And this way I have something already prepared for the next chapter. =D


	3. Chapter 3

**...**This update is much more timely (Even though the entire KH category has been spewing error messages at me for the better part of this month). So enjoy! If you haven't looked over the first chapter recently, I would strongly suggest doing so, because it has changed a lot since the original post.

Warning: This story is yaoi (boyxboy) so if that's not your thing, then you probably shouldn't read any farther. It's also a pirate story: There WILL be cursing. There WILL be fighting (although you probably won't get to see most of it in detail) and bloodshed. Axel WILL have inappropriate intentions for Roxas in handcuffs. Whether or not Riku will allow him to act upon those intentions is debatable.

I don't own Kingdom Hearts (I know, I'm shocked too.)

**Note: Italics are flashbacks, with the exception of '...' (is thoughts.) ****Underlined speech is telepathy. ("...") **

… Does that look like a spider to anyone else?

* * *

"Um... I don't want to get on the boat..." Sora whispered meekly to Roxas, huddling closer to his twin. The blond bit his lip, repaying the pressure and attempting silently to console his older half.

Once again, Sora's too-large shoes thudded against the raised edge of the gangplank. At once, the duo stopped.

Axel, ever the less observant of the two pirates herding them didn't notice quite in time, and so bumped lightly into the frozen siblings'. The brunette panicked, shying away from the pirate and the ship, trembling. Both pirates gave him startled looks, tensing out of habit.

"... Sora?" Riku queried after a moment, taking one cautious step forward. The spiky haired boy backed away two, with such haste that he nearly tripped himself.

"Imnotgettingonthatship!" He blurted, shaking and terrified.

* * *

Axel turned to the less volatile twin, allowing his captain to deal with the hysterics.

"... Any idea what's up with him?" Red eyebrows had risen almost to the point of melting into his hairline.

"Of course." Roxas snapped, "But it's none of your business."

The redhead leered. "Bullshit it ain't. He's making a scene in front of my face. It is officially my business."

"Fuck off!" the blond snarled, adjusting his stance but remaining otherwise stationary.

* * *

"Sora, dear, you don't have a choice."

-What choice do you have?-

**"SHUT UP!" **Sora shrieked, eyes slamming shut against tears as painful memories flared to life again. Whether at the pirate before him or the voice haunting him, he wasn't sure. His arms curled to his face, and he wished the chain was slack enough to let him cover his ears.

Riku took advantage of this, treading soundlessly forward and deleting the space Sora had created.

"I can't get on the ship! He-"

Sora was cut off abruptly as he was hauled up by the waist and tossed over the Captain's shoulder. Gripping the younger boy's thigh with one hand, Riku swiveled around and headed back for the ship.

Two seconds of respite, and then the struggling began.

"NO! No, put me DOWN!" Screaming and thrashing with all his might, Sora was still at the disadvantage in this position. Tears streamed in accordance with gravity, flinging in every direction as the spiky-haired boy thrashed hopelessly.

"Not doing you any good, Sora." Riku muttered darkly.

* * *

"The fuck you think you're doing to him?" Roxas had turned as soon as Sora cried out, and was livid to see Riku handling his brother in so rough a manner. Axel had to restrain him in order to keep him from doing something stupid.

The silver haired pirate passed his first mate, tossing a look over his shoulder as he stepped off of the dock and onto the wooden pathway leading upwards to his ship.

It was... uncanny. Both pirates felt it, just as surely as Roxas and Sora. As Riku took the fateful step - heel landing on the boarding plank with no louder a noise than usual - the air around them shuddered. The twins reached for each other mindlessly in the same movement, identical blue eyes wide with terror.

* * *

**He knew. Somewhere beyond the darkness in the ocean's furthest reaches, he felt his lost possessions returning to him. And he smiled, heading a course for the port he _knew _they would find their way to eventually. He had waited two years. He could wait a few more months.**

Elsewhere on his ship, a delicate blonde jerked up from her work, face drawn into a delicate expression of dread. _'It can't be... Oh Sora... Roxas... I told you to be _careful..._'_

* * *

For Axel and Riku, the moment was brushed off as imagination; a weird, half-perceived notion caused by the twins moving in freakishly synchronized motions.

With the two boys secure in their hold, it would have been impossible not to feel the roll of their shoulders as their shackled arms lifted towards each other, and even more impossible not to see the motion mirrored by the opposite twin.

It was definitely eerie, especially considering the haunted look in their eyes.

If Riku had been in a better mood, he might have allowed them to reunite as they so desperately sought to do... But these twins were pissing him off and causing too much of a delay already. They'd be together again in the brig soon enough.

"Carry him," he ordered coolly over his unoccupied shoulder, not waiting to see his command carried out. A half-moment later, a muffled thump followed by boyish-voiced curses and a perverse laugh from his first mate was assurance enough.

* * *

Sora didn't bother to struggle any more, glazed eyes trained on his currently-being-molested brother. _'Nothing... nothing can save us now... It's only a matter of time...'_

The tears began again as a particularly brutal thought appeared in the hopeless tangent:

_'We can't escape from him twice in a lifetime...'_

* * *

Kairi was horrified.

Her close friend and captain, followed by her favorite cousin , boarded the ship stormily; hauling with them the last two boys she had ever expected to see in this situation. The tremor suddenly made sense. As soon as either of them were on the water again, the spell protecting them would have collapsed.

_**'Oh, please, please no... Not them, dammit! You STUPID...' **_Kairi considered herself to be level headed, usually. But watching the universe unravel before her eyes at the fault of two ignorant pirates made her tremble with a torrent of emotions that divested her of logic.

Roxas was thrashing angrily, screaming at the top of his lungs at a darkly grinning Axel: whose hold was distinctly inappropriate. Sora hung limply over a fuming Riku's shoulder, crystalline eyes glazed and defeated. They already knew. Riku and Axel had unintentionally sealed their fate.

She couldn't bear to watch as the twins were carried down to the brig. Bruises and cuts on all four parties gave hints, but even as the _Heartless's _medic, she couldn't think of that right now.

Heart in her throat, she called out mentally as she dodged around crewmen, keeping her head down. "We have a problem, Nami..."

A softer voice answered her, wafting gently through the back of her mind. "How did you...?" A pause, then a brush of fear. "No... Please. Please tell me they aren't..."

Kairi winced internally. "They are. I don't know the details... but Riku and Axel just dragged them aboard."

On the other end of the mental link, a slim blonde girl held her hands to her heart. "He already **knows**. He changed course as soon as Sora was over the water. You've got to..." A desperate silence as nothing came to mind.

The redhead mirrored the action unconsciously, sharing in the other girl's anxiety and missing the piece of her that Naminé carried. "...I'll do what I can to stall. We don't have a specific destination in mind, so if I bug him enough he might make a few extra stops. I _could_ try convincing him to leave them ashore next port, but... Riku is so _stubborn_..." She frowned, subdued as she asked haltingly, " He'll... be waiting There, I suppose?"

Her counterpart sighed a morose affirmative, forcing back painful memories for the both of them. "If you can, Kai, you have to get them off the ship before you reach it. Maybe if they run inland again, he'll lose the trail..."

"... You don't believe that, do you. The protective spell is gone. We can't recast it unless we're together, and by the time _that _would be possible he'd already have them. He's still suspicious after the last time; there's no way he'd let you anywhere _near_ them until it was too late..." A sense of hopelessness pressed down upon them both, and they went silent. _'There really is no chance for them..' _

"What about the Mission? If he gets a hold of them again, what will happen?" Kairi asked suddenly, worried and horrified and not sure she wanted to know. With every passing second the darkness was rolling closer, threatening to swallow the two tiny points of light that they had given so much to protect. "Naminé... what will it do to them if he gains control again? I can feel it from here, Sora is _barely_ containing his darkness **now**..." The redhead's violet eyes began to tear up, and she had no choice but to hurry below deck as Riku called for cast off, sending the majority of the crew scrambling to carry out the order before the captain could become of worse temper. "We can't lose them. We can't... Nami... what are we going to do?"

Her mental voice cracked, and she tucked herself behind a barrel to cry silently, shoulders shaking with sobs that her twin, her sister, her other half - trapped in the darkness so far away - was unable to soothe.

* * *

**...Dundundun! **I hope this is sufficient to get your brains running on overdrive, kiddies!

I love reviews. =) Drop me a line: tell me what you think, chew me out for not updating in forever. Whatevs. I love to chat, and reviews warm my heart. Also: questions, insights, thoughts? I'll answer as well as I can without spoiling the surprises I have for you all. Reviews encourage updates!


	4. Chapter 4

**I am working as fast as I can on getting this to you guys! I'm kinda frazzled and the ideas are having some trouble organizing themselves, but with a little time and some plotbunnies this is gonna be better than ever. **e3e** You deserve some solid updates so I'll do my best! And goodgoodgood news, there has been a plot breakthrough back here behind the scenes so my writer's block on this has officially just been sorted out!**

******Warning: This story is yaoi (boyxboy) so if that's not your thing, then you probably shouldn't read any farther. It's also a pirate story: There WILL be cursing. There WILL be fighting (although you probably won't get to see most of it in detail) and bloodshed.**

**I don't own Kingdom Hearts. Obviously, because otherwise it would be a lucrative and ongoing porn franchise. I might not be joking.**

_**( 'Is thoughts, just FYI.' )**_

* * *

"Welcome to your new home, boys," Riku said sourly, plopping Sora onto the dingy cot in the brig. "I hope the accommodations are to your liking." His pissy mood stemmed from the utter lack of coöperation from the two boys, who should of course know that property doesn't argue or throw bizarre little tantrums when given an order. The tension that had risen upon boarding the Heartless seemed to have levelled out to a calm, so the young captain couldn't fathom the continuing (and creepy) solemnity shared by the twins, even as they were dumped on their asses in the dreary cell he'd resigned them to. Eerily expressionless, they merely leaned against the wall as they rejoined on the little bunk.

"It doesn't matter." Roxas murmured, pulling his legs to his chest. _'We won't be here long and the place we're going is indefinitely worse.' _

Axel wondered if it was only his particularly fantastic imagination or if a little tic had really appeared on his captain's forehead. "Don't be like that, Roxy, of course it matters!" Almost cheerfully he knelt to unshackle the boys, as always striving to make Riku's life more frustrating than it already was. "If Riku ever gets the stick out of his ass you guys could have an actual room. Then it would only smell _kinda _bad, as opposed to noxious like it does down here."

In a bland sort of way Sora noted that under other circumstances he might have found the captain's irritated growl really funny. The redhead sure did, at least until he was dragged out by his hair. The barred door clanged loudly as it was kicked shut, and the key screeched in the lock.

"Anyways. If you boys decide you're ready to coöperate just let someone know and we'll talk. I'll send someone down to look at that scratch." Just like that, the pirates left them alone. The hatch thudded closed behind them, and the light was swallowed away.

* * *

"Fuck you, Axel." Riku shoved the taller man to the deck with a scowl, only to be rewarded with the redhead's coarse laughter. For good measure, the silverette kicked him, too. "There's no stick in my ass, but if you keep laughing there may just be a sword in yours."

"Oh lighten up, Riku!" Axel continued to chuckle, dodging the blow easily by wriggling away. The crew simply stepped around him as they prepared the ship to set sail, well used to this sort of argument and wise enough by now to stay out of it. "It was funny and you know it."

"How is undermining my authority in front of prisoners funny? ...For crying out loud, Axel, get up. You look like a retarded maggot." Annoyance colored his voice, but gradually it changed into resigned amusement. Yes, his first mate was an insubordinate moron, but he was good for comic relief if you knew well enough not to take him seriously. Axel rolled to his feet with a hum, absolutely aware that he was in the clear again and quite pleased with himself.

"One of these days I'm going to come to my senses and realize there's only one redhead on this ship who's actually useful, and then where will your sorry ass be?"

"Sweet, sweet retirement my friend."

Rolling his eyes, Riku tuned the cocky man out in favor of glancing about for the aforementioned _useful_ redhead. Any intelligent sailor knew that wounds were better cared for as early as possible around so much filth. No glory in dying of a simple infection. That, of course, is where Kairi played in. Usually having a girl onboard would be seen as bad luck, but Riku wasn't the superstitious type.

Normally, the first person he saw upon returning would be Kairi because she would be puttering around cleaning or bandaging wounds or soothing new recruits. In fact, it was a little odd that he hadn't seen her already. The crew was largely untended it would appear (not that there had been many injuries to sustain), and she was nowhere in sight. Curious, he grabbed someone from their duties to ask if anyone had seen Kairi.

What he got in response was a shrug and a mumbled apology. "I 'aven't seen 'er, cap'n. Not since reboardin'."

Lovely. "Get back to work. I want us out of port before we lose the wind." He started for the galley, having to choose what was highest in his priorities. A simple wave caught him Axel's attention, and he called easily over his shoulder while descending, "Keep an eye out for your cousin? I need her to tend the prisoners when she's not busy. And send Cid my way if you see him first so we can get the haul divided." What there was to divide, anyway.

Axel saluted loosely and cracked his neck, glancing around for either of the parties he was supposed to locate. They didn't pop up, but a very soggy Pete shot him a glare before getting to work. Chuckling to himself and making a face at the dissatisfied man, he allowed his long legs to carry him around the deck aimlessly for a while, lending a hand here and there and bossing around a powdermonkey or two. In all reality, he was deathly bored at the moment. He'd hoped that the blond kid - Rocks Ass, or something like that? - would have been his entertainment for the evening, but that ship was sunk. Those kids were stuck down there in the brig until Riku decided otherwise, and things had ceased to be interesting when the fight went out of them anyway. The redhead sighed, a bit disappointed with the way this day had shaped up.

At least he'd be able to do his job, though, because he'd just spotted Kairi slipping out from behind some barrels. What the fuck she'd been doing tucked away back there he wasn't sure, but she appeared to be getting to work handing out Band-Aids and pats on the head. He just watched her for a bit, leaning against the railing of the forecastle. After a bit, she looked up, nodding towards the brig to show she'd heard her instructions. He puzzled over her forced smile, flashing her one in response as she opened the hatch and started down the steps.

Oh well. He'd ask later what her problem was. He supposed he probably ought to poke around for Cid for a while so he headed in the direction of the carpenter/quartermaster's workshop. He was pleased to note that if nothing else, the wind seemed to be on their side. That should brighten the captain's mood, and then maybe Axel could finally get that booty...

* * *

Kairi made sure to grab a lantern so she could close the hatch behind her, not in the mood to have this conversation interrupted. Her steps were light and quick, carrying her to the cell briskly enough to at least get the boys to look up. Two sets of blue eyes widened at her arrival, and Sora perked in shock while Roxas gaped.

"Kairi?!" The brunette twin climbed from the bunk, hands closing around the bars as he tried to get a better look. "Is that really you?"

"Oh Sora..." She set her lantern down and cupped his gloved hands, purple eyes misting yet again. "And Roxas. How did this happen? You _know _the spell couldn't last if you set foot on the ocean."

"We didn't mean to, Kai!" Sora pleaded, Roxas coming to his side slowly. "I messed up trying to make a deal with that stupid captain and then we didn't win. This is all my fault..."

"It's not your fault, So'," his brother said softly. "You didn't mean to." Kairi nodded, closing her eyes a moment.

"Did it happen again?" she asked after a moment, rubbing absent circles on his knuckles with her thumbs.

"...Yeah." The boy shuddered, chin lowered in shame. "Rox woulda **won** but he had to step in cause I lost it. I thought I'd gotten it under control!"

"What are you doing here, anyway? How did you get off that ship?"Roxas gripped his brother's shoulder, silently trying to offer comfort with guilt weighing heavy in his heart.

"He marooned me after you guys got away. He decided it was too dangerous to have me and Namine together since he must've known it was us that helped you get away. Marluxia talked him out of just putting me away with Xion... I found my way back to Radiant Garden and joined these guys - I'm kind of related to Axel so it was easy - so I could stay on the sea and keep up with Nami. " She touched her temple, referencing her twin telepathy and reminding the boys of the lurking question. "Did you find the King?"

They shook their heads after a shared glance, both feeling somewhat ashamed that they'd fallen short. "I... Does he know, Kairi?"

She was quiet, leaning against the bars and trying to summon her voice.

"_Kairi. Does he **know**?" _The blonde couldn't help but whisper, pressing to his twin's side as they both waited in terrible suspense, although the answer was clear in her silence.

It was a long moment before she could bring herself to nod. "Yes. He... They're waiting. It's just a matter of time now."

"Then we failed. Everyone is going to die and it _is _my fucking fault." Sora bit out, pushing away from the door and running his hands through his hair harshly.

"No! Sora, there may still be hope," it was Kairi's turn to plead, reaching through the bars with her voice wavering. "There's time. If we can get you off the ship and back on land it will at least slow him down - "

"There's no point." Shadows curled vaguely at his feet as depression got a hold on him. "Running away isn't going to help anything. He's still going to find us, and that's the end of it." His voice was empty and forlorn, and neither of his companions could find the words to bring him out of it. "We don't stand a chance, do we?"

"... I don't know anymore, Sora." Her hand fell back to her side, and she scuffed her foot slowly. "But I'm going to keep doing everything I can and I think you should too." In the quiet moments that followed, she tended his nicks and cuts through the filthy iron cage, apologizing helplessly that she couldn't do more.

* * *

**A/N: Poor Sora. D': It makes me sad when he's sad. Review and share in my sorrow? Also, I'm dying for you guys to guess what's going on. **


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